8-2 Vocab Flashcards
(20 cards)
Carrying Capacity
The maximum population size that can be supported by the available resources, symbolized as K
Emigration
The movement of individuals out of a population
R-Selection
Selection for life history traits that maximize reproductive success in uncrowded environments
Cryptic Coloration
Camouflage that makes a potential prey difficult to spot against its background
Competition
A negative-negative interaction that occurs when individuals of different species compete for a resource that limits the survival and reproduction of both individuals. Competition for resources can also occur between members of the same species; this case is sometimes distinguished as interspecific competition
Evapotranspiration
The total evaporation of water from an ecosystem, including water transpired by plants and evaporated from a landscape, usually measured in millimeters and estimated for a year
Competitive Exclusion
The concept that when populations of two similar species compete for the same limited resources, one population will use the resources more efficiently and have a reproductive advantage that will eventually lead to the elimination of the other population
Community
All the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for potential interaction
Shannon Diversity Index
An index of community diversity symbolized by H that quantifies the relative abundance of each species and provides an indication of species richness
Secondary Succession
A type of succession that occurs where an existing community has been cleared by some disturbance that leaves the soil or substrate intact
Relative Abundance
The proportional abundance of different species in a community
Endoparasites
A parasite that lives within a host
Biomass
The total mass of organic matter comprising a group of organisms in a particular habitat
Trophic Stucture
The different feeding relationships in an ecosystem, which determine the route of energy flow and the pattern of chemical cycling
Zoonotic Pathogens
A disease-causing agent that is transmitted to humans from other animals
Trophic Level
The position an organism occupies in a food chain
Ecosystem Engineers
An organism that influences community structure by causing physical changes in the environment
Ectoparasites
A parasite that feeds on the external surface of a host
Resource Partitioning
The division of environmental resources by coexisting species such that the niche of each species differs by one or more significant factors from the niches of all coexisting species
Nonequilibrium Model
A model that maintains that communities change constantly after being buffeted by disturbances
